Side by Side: Sleep Balm and Night-Night Balm

Sleep: young or old, we need it; and arguably as much as we need food, air, and water. However, it’s estimated that around 60 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep disorder, including insomnia. Even us Badgers toss and turn from time to time! While the reasons for not sleeping are numerous and can differ from person to person, it’s essential that we let our bodies rest and rejuvenate to feel alert ready for the next day.

At Badger, we approach being healthy from a holistic perspective, which includes eating healthy food, drinking lots of water, and getting plenty of sleep. So what do Badgers do when sleep is hard to find? We turn to the art of aromatherapy, which uses pure botanical essences to calm, relax, uplift, and clear restless minds. Since Badger makes two sleep balms, people often ask: What’s the difference between the two? Can adults use Night-Night Balm? Can my kiddos use Sleep Balm?

Those questions and more are answered below in this side-by-side comparisons of Badger’s best sleep buddies. But before we dig in, it’s important to note that our balms are not drugs, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or otherwise solve medical issues. So if you have a serious sleep issue, you should consult with your doctor or practitioner to determine the best course of treatment. That being said, if you like nice soft skin and dreamy aromatherapy blends, then please read on!

Generally speaking, grownups and kids have different reasons why they can’t sleep. Adults, for the most part, have a difficult time turning off their brains long enough to fall asleep. Instead we’re thinking about the emails that need sending and errands that still need doing, while worrying about the bills and endless to-do lists. It’s no wonder why we have trouble falling asleep!

Sleep Balm features balsam fir, a key ingredient that evokes a mind-clearing walk in the woods, only from the comfort of your own bed. This magical oil is refreshing and relaxing to the body, as well as warming, helping to ease you into a relaxed state of mind so sleep can come naturally. Bergamot, which is a citrus, is traditionally uplifting without being stimulating and helps put you in a better mood as you drift off. Traditionally bergamot balances emotions, which can be very helpful if you tend to get riled up about stuff.

Night-Night Balm is a little more traditional in its approach. Chamomile and lavender are calming herbs for kids, while spearmint and mandarin are emotionally uplifting. In combination they promote peace and calm for a relaxed, happy transition into sleep.

As you can see each balm is 95-100% USDA Certified Organic, with a base of extra virgin olive oil, beeswax, and castor oil in addition to aromatherapeutic essential oils. Our extra virgin olive oil comes from a family-owned estate in Spain, and is the highest quality food-grade oil you can get. In fact, it’s used by Michelin Star chefs in France and Spain for its remarkable health qualities. As a result these balms nourish the body – meaning you and the little ones have really soft skin – while providing many aromatherapeutic benefits.

Where to apply for best results:

Since both balms are based around the principles of aromatherapy, you’ll want to apply them anywhere you can smell the aroma. This includes under the nose, on the lips, chest, wrists, shoulders, temples, or other pulse points. You can also apply them to your feet and belly, and allow the essential oils to diffuse into the air. A lot of parents have said that they use Night-Night Balm for bedtime massages to relax their little ones, and as a bonus, mom and dad end up feeling relaxed, too.

Other notable points:

Aside from having different essential oil blends, I find that Night-Night Balm has a milder smell than Sleep Balm. But both can be used by anyone in the family at any time – since neither balm is a drug, they don’t actually make you sleepy. I find the Night-Night Balm especially relaxing to use at work.

Do you have an experience with Sleep Balm or Night-Night Balm? Share your story in the comments below!

Jentri Jollimore has been with Badger's marketing department since 2008, and active in the natural products industry for more than 10 years. When she's not handling PR and Social Media for Badger, she enjoys playing guitar, composing songs, and writing scores for short films.

24 comments on “Side by Side: Sleep Balm and Night-Night Balm”

Have been dealing with insomnia for weeks! Used Sleep Balm and I drifted off to sleep. Thank you so much for making this product. Question – should this have some sort of smell to it? Can’t detect a smell from what I purchased could it be old? Thank you

Thanks for writing. Yes, the balm should smell of lavender, balsam fir, and bergamot. It is possible that you have an old product, as essential oils evaporate. If you’ve just bought the product from us, contact our wonderful customer service team: custserv @badgerbalm.com or 1-800-603-6100.

I’ve been using Sleep Balm for about 4 years now and honestly, it’s the only thing that puts me to sleep! I have severe insomnia and this is the only thing that calms it! Thank you for putting out such a great product, couldn’t live without it!

My husband often wakes up in the middle of the night, his mind racing with all the stresses of the day. Then, he usually wakes me up, and we both have a hard time falling back asleep. I found some night-night balm, and it worked like magic! I put a little under each of our noses, and moments later we are asleep again. No more frustration, no more feeling over-tired throughout the day. It is really quite amazing!

Thanks for writing. Generally we recommend Night-Night Balm for 6 months and older, because of the variety of essential oils. Badger’s Baby Balm and Baby Oil are also very calming and soothing, because they feature chamomile and calendula which are two herbs that are safe to use on babies under 6 months. So it might be best to use Baby Balm and/or Baby Oil for the next few months, and then switch over to the Night-Night Balm (if you’ve already purchased it). Keep in mind that I’m not a pediatrician, so you can also bring the tin – which lists every single ingredient in the product – to your pediatrician to get a more qualified opinion.

At nap time today, instead of napping, our 3 y.o. got into some night night balm. Put it all over and in his hair. A lot of it. Not coming out in the shower. Any tips on getting night night balm out of toddler hair?

Ah yes, the balm in the hair. The mamas and papas here at Badger are ALL to familiar with this! Best thing to do is to use conditioner all over the hair, and then rinse. The oil in the conditioner binds with the oil in the product (like dissolves like), and the water in the conditioner helps it to wash clean. You might have to do this a few times! Hope this helps, and good luck!

Thanks for stopping by our blog. 🙂 Night-Night Balm is safe for babies 6 months and older, and great for belly rubs, foot massage, and back massage. The olive oil moisturizes the skin, while the essential oils have a calming effect. Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any more questions.

I’ve had issues with insomnia since elementary school. At the advice of my doctor, I’ve tried various medications. Many of them leave me groggy in the morning, and they tend to be highly addictive. Breaking sleep medication addictions is always miserable. I was rather surprised when I tried Badger sleep balm and found it quite effective. Most exciting to me is that I always wake up feeling refreshed, and not using it doesn’t make my insomnia any worse than usual.

I’ve been using the Headache Soother balm on my lips before I go to sleep, and I do think it’s been helping me find my way to a more relaxed, restful state–even if I can’t smell it. For me, the idea of aromatherapy is partly about visualization: Knowing that there’s lavender oil in the balm makes me think of lavender fields in France and Japan (I recently found out Japan is a big producer of lavender), waving gently in an evening breeze while little birds twitter nearby.

Yes! My husband and I are both big fans of Yogi tea, so w’re familiar with some of the benefits associated with some herbs. It’s good to know there are other ways of having access to those benefits, though… like all things Badger. 😛

I love the idea of aromatherapy, but since I don’t have a sense of smell, I’m wondering if there’s any evidence showing that aromatherapy isn’t completely dependent on having a fully functional smeller.

That’s a great question, Ilana! And truthfully I don’t really know the answer…

I do know that pure essential oils do have topical benefits (when diluted properly) – I’m thinking of rosemary, for example, which is used on hair and scalp, and also in aromatherapy for clear thinking. And there are tinctures and teas that have similar benefits when ingested – for example, I have a lovely rose tincture which is uplifting, which is a similar effect to smelling the essential oil. And lavender and chamomile teas are calming when sipped, as well as smelled. So I think the short answer is that pure essential oils have many benefits which extend to topical and internal applications… it would probably just take a little research on your part. (That being said, make sure you’re consulting with a qualified person if you’re ingesting them.)

With regards to our Sleep Balm and Night-Night Balm, I think it’s possible they might relax, even if you can’t smell them. At the very least they’ll give you nice, soft skin! 🙂

My daughter used nighty night balm for the first 8 months of the year, along with spraying lavender on her pillow and in the room. She would be asleep in 10-15 minutes and much earlier than she goes to bed know.
I’m hoping to start this again in the new year. 10:30-11:00pm is too late for Momma to be crawling into bed after a hard days work.